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For those looking for fishing spots in Central Florida region, St. John’s River is one of the most popular choices. Running for 310 miles the St. Johns River originates nearly 64 miles south of Palatka, Florida. American shads are among the most commonly found species of fish in this river. Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Channel Catfish, Warmouth and Bluegill are among the other species found in this river. Shads move here to the freshwater region predominantly for spawning. Spawning occurs in the late winter months or even early spring. For fishing American shads during the winters the lower parts of the rivers are ideal locations to place the nets.
Besides this region the other popular place where shad fishing is common in the towns of Windsor Connecticut and Essex. These towns are also known for the annual shad festivals.
American shad is one of the most common anadromous fish species which is different from the North American shad. This popular sport fish is delicious when cooked and so are its eggs. This fish swims in schools most of the time.
It comes with a distinct silver/metallic body with shades of green or blue. It features a bilaterally symmetric body with the females measuring larger than the males. This fish exhibits a polyandrous mating system.
This has been a popular sport fish that people hunt for the eggs as well as for the meat of the adult fish. The Anadromous Fish Conservation Act protects this species among the others to preserve the species from large scale hunting. The other major threat has been the construction of dams and the obstructions in freshwater zones which are spawning grounds.
The female fish is around 24.3in long and the male’s measures around 19.7 inches. The average weight of this fish could be around 2.5kg. The heaviest reported American shad weighed 5.5kg.
This fish lays its eggs in fresh water. The larvae which are only 0.35-0.39 inch long remain in fresh water till they grow to a length of 1.5 to 4.5 inches. After this the fish migrate slowly to the coastal region but remain close to the other species to avoid becoming prey.
This fish is a native of the Nearctic region and the Atlantic Ocean. From the 20th century there are records of finding American shads in the north Atlantic coastal regions that are the eastern coastline of North America. This includes the coast from central Florida in the southern end to the St. Lawrence River at the northern end. As a part of expanding their range hatcheries introduced this fish species to the West Coast regions. Therefore, you can find this species up to the Cook Inlet and surrounding regions.
Summers as well as the warm autumn months are when you can find the fish closer to the surface. These prefer warmer waters especially during the fawning season. During winters when they go to the warmer deeper oceans you would have to go 65 fathoms or deeper to find this fish. In general most of the adults are present in the brackish waters and the waters of the continental shelf during the summers. For fishing American shads during the winters the lower parts of the rivers are ideal locations to place the nets.
In their juvenile stages American shads feed on insect larvae as well as zooplanktons from the rivers where they grow. As they migrate to the oceans the diet changes. They feed on worms, small fish species, crustaceans, marine planktons, and even fish eggs. Winter months are when the feeding pattern shrinks for the fish as this is also their migration season.